Sunday, February 28, 2010

Many of the material structures around us have now
become a transparent fiction: our financial systems, our job securities,
pensions, educational systems, etc. It is becoming increasingly difficult to
believe that these structures will continue to provide for our needs. As our
rafts search for land, our paddles are being taken away from us. So when we
eventually find fertile land it will be from our own efforts – and the
cultivation that much more rewarding. As personal circumstances become more
affected by the changes occurring in the world it will become necessary that
people ‘wake-up’ to new responsibilities and decisions. After all, the upcoming
years will be different from what has gone before. This is inevitable even on a
physical level, as structures once seen as strong begin to lose their source of
strength (literally, their ‘fuel’). And as these physical changes begin to
impact and encroach upon each person’s well-being, new voices will be rising
and asking for assistance, both tangible and invisible. There is always help
for humanity; assistance is available to those who ask with genuine need. Only we
need to remember that help often does not appear in the way that most people
expect it. However, it is definitely present and available – only don’t expect
a rescue!

It is not my premise to debate the
dominant western thought-paradigms of Darwinian survivalist evolution and
religious Creationism. What I do suggest, however, is that there is
an evolutionary ‘design’ which allows for the creative development of living systems as well as planetary, solar,
and galactic systems: the micro and the macro. And humanity is very much a part
of this wider developmental design, whether consciously or unconsciously. Yet
as the changes in social and cultural systems increasingly manifest it is hoped
that more people will awaken to the understanding and conscience of their
responsible participation. It is with conscious minds that creative action can
have a more powerful effect. Especially amid disruptive circumstances it will
be paramount that individuals respond with balanced minds and thoughtful
actions. This is no time for super-heroes or martyrs: it will be a time to act
within the human capacity; away from gratifications of recognition and
attention. Diligent work with oneself, with others, and within the community is
the action that guarantees a response.

There is no avoiding the fact that negative
influences operate within our world, and have done so for a very long time.
Such forces resist change; they resist anything that is a threat to their
power. It may seem that during the times of transition the negative influences
are at their peak. Hunbatz Men, teacher of Mayan science and
spirituality, acknowledges these negative forces and contends that it is time
to raise the frequency of the global mind: 'Now the world has a dark
civilization, a dark culture. We need to re-establish a high culture...by
raising the frequency of brain waves...the frequency of the modern mind is
going to change in a positive way'.[i]
Hunbatz Men claims that the Mayans have known for a very long time of the big sweeping
changes that are to come. These changes, he says, are part of cyclic patterns
that help to renew and re-vitalize Earth and her living systems.

The upcoming changes, to some degree, are unstoppable
yet they function to ‘sweep the house clean’ rather than to reinforce the
negative presence. This is important to remember so that we do not mistakenly
feel over-powered by the disruptions coming with the change. Such disturbances,
however distasteful, are necessary: just as the odour of bleach is distasteful
and dangerous yet its function is to clean and purify. As the world struggles
to accommodate more and different energies, there will be many ripples
spreading out and into the homes of many. And whilst meditation is important as
a means of practising inner balance and focused intentions, there will also be
a need for disciplined action. Just as there is a discipline
that holds the energies of the universe in their creative pattern, so too must
human activities be focused with disciplined energy. Part of this can be
fulfilled by shifting our ‘patterns’ away from a self-centered material
consumerist agenda to a more Earth-centered set of values. As Doris Lessing
wrote in her Canopus in Argos series, the ‘broken’ Earth needs to
regain the energies of SOWF (‘Substance Of We Feeling’). In the end, real knowledge
is simple and free; and it lives within each one of us.

Our behaviour and actions within our communities will be better served
if we can realize that the Earth is a bio-spiritual planet. Further, that the
cosmos of which Earth is a part is also the context and environment for our
enduring reality:

The archetypal journey of
the universe can now be experienced as the journey of each individual, since
the entire universe has been involved in shaping our individual psychic as well
as our physical being from that first awesome moment when the universe emerged.[ii]

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Human beings also function as energy nodes
within the ‘human grid’. We receive, store, and distribute energy amongst
ourselves. As open systems, energy is information, and vice-versa. In this
context it is important to realise that this energy can be used to fuel individual
self-development. The more focused a person’s thoughts, emotions, and
behaviour, the finer the quality of energy. Much of our energy is lost daily
through wasted emotions; when anger, fear, and other corruptive manifestations
become assertive and exaggerated. At all times the negative seeks to embolden
itself, to present itself as being greater than it is. Again, this is because
there is always less negative inside us at all times in comparison to the
positive. Thus, the negative needs to pretend it is worse than it actually is
if it is to have any chance of great influence over the person. This is
something to make ourselves constantly aware of: we can be food for the
negative as well as the positive. As in ecology, everything is someone else’s
food!

When confronted with an unpleasant event or issue
we can ask ourselves: ‘is this a problem or a situation?’ It may help to
remember that every problem is also a situation, but not every situation is a
problem. By finding out which is which we will have a better basis from which
to act upon. With an increase in information and awareness comes a parallel
increase in responsibility. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to others,
and to our earthly and cosmic environment. As each of us develops according to
our own capacity we may feel a strong desire to pass this on to others. Yet it
is important that we talk to others in accordance with their level of understanding. There are likely to be times when we
feel frustrated that other people are not ‘seeing’ things correctly; that they
are not ‘understanding’ the evident truths. In periods of chaotic change,
people often search for the tried and tested, the trusted and secure. For many,
notions of evolutionary transformation and energetic change will seem nothing
more than abstract fantasy: the hallucinations of a mind losing its
reality-grip. Fine: all things come to those in their own time. What is important is that necessary energy is not
needlessly wasted through vain or egoistic efforts. Frustration and haste can
easily eat away at one’s own energy reserves, resulting in the person becoming
less effective and functional. This is of no benefit to anyone. As in all
endeavours, preparation and timing are essential factors. As Ali (fourth Caliph
of Islam) is credited as saying: ‘Three things once gone are gone forever: the
word spoken in haste; the arrow once sped from the bow; the missed
opportunity’.

Increased acceleration of events is upon us, yet
haste will be against us. A spiritual renaissance in the minds and hearts of
more and more people will spread as physical events unfold to reveal their duplicity.
In this awakening let us be assured that when we strive to develop and lift
ourselves, we indirectly yet significantly also lift our world and those around
us. In essence, spiritual realization is about realizing the spirit of others.

Everything will change. Yet humanity will continue,
albeit in a different way. Our material structures will change, be transformed,
and from this we will have the opportunity to become more human. These are the
words of Maya indigenous elders who have anticipated these changes for a long
time. It is time for a renewal of the spirit. By this, it is not meant that people
should flock to spiritual doctrines. The true spirit is within the heart of
each person, and is the responsibility of each person to find their own
contact. Each pathway of experience is unique to every person for there are as
many ways to the spiritual centre as there are people’s hearts. Nor is the true
spirit one of contemplation alone, for the spiritual ideal of our era now is
one of considerate action. And through this action, things will change. How
difficult or easy these changes will be depends much upon the response of each
person. What is important is not the event itself but rather how each person
deals with it. The changes we face may be out of our hands, yet each of us has
the power to choose how we respond to them.

Willaru Huayta, a spiritual messenger in the Inca tradition, has been
travelling the globe telling people that 'The world is at a critical point of
transition, which is highlighted by the crisis in spiritual and moral
principles. Nationality is no longer important...Human truth is one. The most
important thing now is to awaken the consciousness in a positive form.[i]

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Our
world then, as material and physical
as it is, is nevertheless malleable. It can be affected by the strength of one’s
own presence, intentions, questioning, and thoughts. Our cosmos is creative, endlessly
renewing and replenishing itself. Within this energetic ebb-and-flow we can ‘fix’
ourselves (become the ‘attractor’ for the flux around us) by focusing our presence
within each moment. Much of how we experience the future, specifically the
coming earth changes, will rest upon how we perceive those changes. Our present
generations are now required to direct themselves in accordance with their
thoughts. A visionary impulse is necessary if we are to rise beyond these
turbulent transition times towards a more constructive future. In other words, if
we believe that the future changes will usher in a disruptive apocalyptic
scenario, then this will be exactly how it plays out for us. This is the fear
equation: if we are fearful we
are likely to attract the negative circumstances (again, like attracts like).
And this fear equation has been holding back humanity from
developing for far too long. If we perceive the world as life-threatening
rather than life-promoting then this will influence how we interpret the
changing times. Yet the fear equation is a mask: F.E.A.R. masquerades as False
Evidence Appearing Real. To be prepared for the upcoming earth changes
we are being asked, as sovereign
individuals, which future we wish to embrace. Austrian philosopher
Rudolf Steiner once wrote:

An additional way of training our thinking and
feeling is by acquiring a quality we can call “positivity.” There is a
beautiful legend that tells of Christ Jesus and several other people walking
past a dead dog. The others all turned away from the ugly sight, but Christ
Jesus spoke admiringly of the animal’s beautiful teeth. We can practice maintaining
the soul-attitude toward the world that this legend exemplifies. The erroneous,
the bad, and the ugly must not prevent the soul from finding the true, the
good, and the beautiful wherever they are present.[i]

Another maxim in general literature says: 'Pigs grunt, dogs bark, penguins waddle,
what do human beings do?’ Amusing perhaps, and poignant too; yet upon deeper consideration the
answer is that human beings do a lot, or rather have the inherent potentiality to do a lot. One of
these ‘potentialities’ is the power of focused and directed consciousness.
Humans - homo sapiens sapiens - have the capacity to be as bridges
between spirit and matter; between creative impulse and physical manifestation;
between the angelic and the elemental. Again, to reiterate, we can function as
transformers – as facilitators of energy.

Human beings can act as transmitters (like energy
batteries), directing incoming energy across, into, and through the Earth; in a
sense, grounding the energies. Like an ‘earth wire’ in electrical plugs, humans
are able to ground energy that radiates from non-terrestrial sources into our
earthly planetary body. We serve as mobile transducers, whilst the more static
energy nodes are the ancient sacred sites, stone circles, megalithic sites,
that can be found dotted all over our planet. Life, including human life, is a membrane
layer of transmuting energy. The power of human thought and intention can play
a great part in the process of energy transference. The function of the ‘human
facilitator’ is thus one of the reasons behind the concept of human pilgrimage.

There has been much research upon how the world’s
many megalithic sites were used for solar cults, religious worship, or similar
activities etc. However, it is hard to find one overall unifying theory that
relates to the exact, specific function of these various sites. In general, it
can be said that a primary role of such sites is an energetic one. Stonehenge
in the UK,
for example, had a function to channel energy that was made available according
to specific times/events of cosmic phenomena. Thus, the site had to be
correctly aligned for these precise energy emissions. Various sites over the
world show signs of their function as energy channels - be they stone circles,
single stones (dolmens), sacred groves, hills, shrines, etc. Together they constitute
an earth-grid that operates to receive and distribute cosmic energies along,
and into, the earth. Many Christian churches, once considered pagan sites, are
built upon these energy lines; this was part of a functioning knowledge system,
now largely forgotten. Larger structures, such as cathedrals like Notre-Dame
and Chartres, were
constructed to function as energy-accumulators (like batteries), which is often
indicated in their design by the use of spirals or labyrinths in their
construction.

An important element for energy storage and
transmission is correct timing; knowing when specific ‘cosmic energy’ is flowing.
Thus, at particular times of the year certain areas are targeted by energy
currents entering the Earth. Ancient knowledge made use of this in the original
Christian calendars; this was reflected in the names of the saints to which
different churches are dedicated (although the system has undergone some degree
of corruption). For example, in some cultures there is a specific day of the
year which is attached to a particular saint so that the original purpose was
for the entire community to gather at the church for their ‘Saint’s Day’ - a
day that represented the exact time when the maximum energy was available in
that area during the year. Likewise, festivals in specific places in the
countryside, along with established pilgrim routes, enabled a line of
transmission whereby people would act as the channel, or conduit, for passing
along the energy, thus maintaining the energy flow within the earth-grid.

This system is still in place, although the
functional use of many sites and events has been weakened. However, the
earth-grid is still an operative system and is pulsed regularly with cosmic
energies, both according to natural cosmic alignments as well as specific and
deliberate ‘energy-feeding’ from external interventions. So the question as
what can humans do is partly answered by the concept of energy transmitters.
And the more focused and balanced the ‘transmitter’, the finer and more
effective the energies. Of course, we can also waddle too, and grunt
occasionally!

Sunday, February 07, 2010

The 21st century is the meeting point where the wisdom of ancient traditions shall find a synthesis with modern science. Our knowledge systems are converging now to help us synthesize and make use of our resources, to help us advance and continue forward. It is a reciprocal process, whereby assisting the cosmos with its evolutionary design we are given the opportunity to bring ourselves up, as a sentient species, towards greater knowledge and growth. Humans are a required resource within the greater evolutionary design. Several esoteric sources, such as Ernest Scott and Rodney Collin , have indicated the time lengths involved with the inception of cultures by conscious minds. They further explain how there is a set time designated for our present global civilisation to evolve enough conscious minds in order to assist, and/or provide enough energies, for the next planetary phase. This notion, whilst obscure and abstract to some, is not without its active adherents. One term that has come into context for this situation is that of Reciprocal Maintenance.

The term ‘Reciprocal Maintenance’ was used in the writings of philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff to denote humanity’s relationship with the cosmos. This relationship is one where each being exists to support each other, as well as the larger whole. In other words, everything exists to ‘feed’ something else. This term also explains how everything exists for a purpose; how each living organism can transform and supply energy for the whole. In this respect, the function of humankind is to transform energy whilst alive. And naturally, the best ‘quality’ of energy is that which is provided consciously rather than extracted unconsciously. For example,
Algae functions to transform sunlight into more complex molecules; plants function to transform sunlight and raw matter into organic compounds; bees function not only for themselves but also to pollinate flowers and thus catalyze food chains.

In the scheme of things, we can say that humanity functions as a transformer of energy: for ourselves, the community, the Earth, and for the cosmos. Our possibilities, and capacities, as human beings may in some way be dependent upon the degree to which we are able to fulfil this function. We can say that this is one of our primary functions as sentient biological organisms.
In an old Vedic allegory there is the story of the Horse (feeling), the Carriage (instinct), the Driver (thinking) which are at the service of the ‘Passenger’ or ‘Owner’. However, the problem is that the ‘Passenger’ has fallen asleep within the carriage so the Horse and Driver go where they please, and often at a speedy pace! Thus, the purpose and destination of the ‘Owner’ is being ignored. This allegory informs us that ‘Man’ is ‘asleep at the wheel’ and has failed to wake-up and take control of the situation; namely, to steer oneself to one’s correct destination. By ‘waking-up’, an individual can learn to contribute conscious energy, in greater or lesser amounts, through conscious creative living and purposeful participation in life. On the other hand, if not enough individuals are contributing such energies, other means may be employed to extract the necessary ‘fuel’ from us.
It was Gurdjieff’s stated belief that the overall quality of humanity’s conscious energies has been deteriorating over several millennia - especially in so-called ‘civilized’ societies. Whereas we had been prodigious ‘energy-transformers’, we were now pale reflections of former capacities.

This suggests that humankind has been forsaking its ecological function in the world; has been reneging on its obligation of ‘reciprocal maintenance’. Many have speculated upon these ‘other means’ employed to extract the energies from humanity; usually focusing on events that release extreme emotions such as warfare and natural disasters. This view offers a radical, and unpleasant, reworking of human history. It suggests that warfare, disasters, calamities, etc are not the result of accidental, sociological, and/or political causes but may be interventions created to fulfil the needs of a cosmic evolutionary ‘eco-system’. However this may be, it is not my intention to speculate on these matters, but rather to focus on the positive aspects of how humanity may relate to conscious evolution. In this respect, evolutionary design does obligate humanity to function as good energy transformers (as in all living systems). In our own ways we can all ‘return some energies’ if we act according to the right kind of perceptions and behaviour. It would assist us also if we took to reminding ourselves that we are not alone, nor separate in our lives, but instead are interrelated to all processes social, terrestrial, and cosmic. We are, in all senses, a part of the unfathomable creative, universal fabric of life.

There is far more depth and wisdom to our lives than is taught in our educational establishments, mainstream media, or institutional religions. Yet this tyranny of perception is entering a transition period also, as increased information floods our physical and non-physical channels. The world of the glittery and gritty consumerist struggle is being invaded by change from all angles. Nothing is immune to these changing times; not even our own immune systems. Many of us have immune systems that have been conditioned and strengthened from birth to accept the perceived socio-cultural paradigm of our circumstances. Now, along with many systems and institutions, our own inner systems are beginning to desire alternative food, and more nutritious energies. We know something is amiss when there is an inner urge to start looking for pieces of a different puzzle, when external experiences increasingly fail to ‘sit right’ with us. In some sense these stirrings will indicate a struggle between powers: between your own inherent power of self-determination over the power from consensus social forces. Everywhere and in everything power is prevalent in society. It thrives upon the material energies produced. Yet there are degrees of power, and genuine power is the power to empower others. And above all: subtle energy is powerful and powerful energy is subtle. Let us remember that energy goes where attention flows – so, what’s your attention focused on?
It is now becoming well-understood that like attracts like is a universal axiom. This relates more appropriately now with what the new sciences are telling us about the power of ‘intention’ to affect bio-information fields. We need to exercise our intentions to ask the ‘right questions’. As Grandmother Twylah of the Seneca Indian tradition has stated: ‘Each person should ask themselves four questions: i) Am I happy in what I'm doing?; ii) Is what I'm doing going to add to the confusion in the world?; iii) What am I doing to bring about peace and contentment?; iv) How will I be remembered when I'm gone?’